Thought For The Week: 

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude:

I had the great privilege of listening to extraordinary New Zealander Mark Inglis last week. Mark very appropriately uses this quote to explain his life and to challenge us to go beyond what we think are our limits.

To follow is Mark's bio - it's quite long, but for a good reason. Mark is an exceptional person in so many ways.

Mark had a passion and love of the outdoors from childhood. He started work at Mt Cook as a trainee ranger but, with his love of mountaineering, soon became one of the region's professional Search and Rescue Mountaineers. 

In November 1982, Mark and climbing partner Philip Doole became trapped near the summit of Mt Cook in a storm that was to last 13-and-a-half days. The resulting stay in the ice cave - now known as Middle Peak Hotel - resulted in both men almost losing their lives. This was the longest time by over four days - that anyone had survived in an ice cave. As a result of the severe frostbite Mark suffered, he had to have both legs amputated just below the knee.

Education

Mark was forced to change his career due to losing both his legs to frostbite. At the age of 25, he attended Lincoln University and graduated with a BSc Hons 1st Class degree in Biochemistry in 1989.

Following graduation, Mark worked as a Scientific Officer at the Christchurch School of Medicine from 1989 until 1992, developing molecular genetic techniques to aid in diagnosing leukaemias. He also researched the cloning of the genes involved in Hodgkinsons Lymphoma and the origin of blood-forming cells.

Disabled Alpine Skier

In the sporting arena, Mark competed at national and international level in Disabled Alpine Skiing, gaining one gold, two silvers and two bronze medals in 1990, 1991 and 1996. Mark has competed internationally in Disabled Road Cycling, first representing New Zealand at the World Championships in Colorado Springs in 1998 and ranked ninth in the World.

Mark was named in the New Zealand team to the Southern Cross Multidisability Games in Sydney in October 1999, where he collected Bronze, Silver and Gold medals for his efforts. At the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games, Mark rode to twelfth in the Road Race and a career highlight of Silver in the 1000m individual time trial, New Zealand's first ever Paralympic Cycling medal.

Mountaineering

Mountaineering again became a focus of his life - with Mark reaching the summit of Mt. Cook (3759m), New Zealand's highest mountain, on January 7, 2002, after a previous attempt was thwarted by damage to his stumps. The climb was as much a test for Mark's newly-designed technical climbing legs as a test of himself. The climb and its build-up were recorded and played as a documentary on TV1 in April of 2002. While preparing for the climb, the BBC filmed Mark as part of the Ray Mears Extreme Survival show for BBC2.

On 27 September 2004, Mark stood on the summit of Cho Oyu, at 8201m, the world's sixth highest mountain, and looked directly across at Everest, only about 650m higher, and knew that what he was seeing was his next challenge. 

On May 16, 2006, Mark became the first double amputee to conquer Mt Everest. Mark completed his climb on two carbon-fibre artificial legs specially adapted for climbing. He snapped one of them early on in the climb, but with the help of his climbing colleagues, he was able to repair it and continue the ascent.

The climb took its toll, though. Mark again suffered serious frostbite and, on his return to New Zealand, had to have several fingers amputated.

Author

Mark is the author of five books, No Mean Feat, Off the Front Foot, To The Max, Legs on Everest and High Tech Legs On Everest, and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to persons with disabilities at the Queen's Birthday Honour Awards in 2002.

Current work

Mark is the founding trustee for Limbs4All Charitable Trust, which is committed to helping some of the 400 million disabled people in the world to express their potential by supporting projects and individuals both within New Zealand and worldwide and is also an ambassador for Outward Bound amongst various other projects and charities.

Speaker

Mark has presented to over 200,000 people across the world, inspiring them to embrace challenges, to develop the attitude to excel. 

Much of Mark's time is spent in India, consulting with the country's top executives, focusing on change, challenges and the role of attitude in business. Mark leads one to three treks to Nepal each year to raise funds and awareness for Limbs4All projects in Nepal and Cambodia.

Challenge and attitude are at the core of all growth in our families, communities and businesses. Mark is the epitome of Challenge and Attitude. As the only double amputee who has stood on the summit of Mt Everest, who else can truly define the often used saying, 'Attitude determines your Altitude'.

"WHAT YOU DO FOR YOURSELF DIES WITH YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS WORLD; WHAT YOU DO FOR OTHERS LIVES ON FOREVER."

SIR KEN ROBINSON, 'THE ELEMENT', 2009